Higher Education

Binghamton University is planning to initiate construction on a new research facility, Science V, in spring or fall of 2008. Currently in the design phase, the project will provide additional research and surge space and will be located between Science III and Science IV on the school's Binghamton, N.Y. campus. Completion is expected in fall of 2010. The University will also construct a new engineering facility in the Innovative Technologies Complex, which opened in fall of 2006.

Texas Woman's University is planning to break ground in 2008 on the $32-million T. Boone Pickens Institute of Health Sciences in Dallas. Combining two of TWU's existing educational sites, the new facility will be located in the Southwestern Medical District at the TWU Parkland location. Accommodating programs in nursing, physical and occupational therapy, healthcare administration, and library science, the 143,000-sf multi-building campus will also house the TWU Stroke Center.

The University of California Davis Medical Center is planning to construct the $75-million Center for Regenerative Science and Therapies in Davis, Calif. The University-funded sterile stem cell research laboratory will include testing and manufacturing capabilities and will partner with the California National Primate Research Center and other campus laboratories. Initial construction fees, yet to be approved by the UC Board of Regents, are estimated at $22 million.

Dartmouth College is planning to construct the C. Everett Koop Medical Science Complex on its Hanover, N.H., campus. The $140 million, 283,085-gsf facility is expected to begin construction in late summer of 2007 and reach initial occupancy in fall of 2009. Designed to foster interaction and collaboration, the Koop Complex will bring together research, patient care, clinical, and academic programs.

The University of California, Berkeley is engaged in a $39-million seismic upgrade and complete interior renovation of the Doe Annex building, part of the Bancroft Library. Upon completion in spring 2008, the 130,000-sf, 6-level library will include: new interior shear walls and foundations; state-of-the-art MEP systems, including fire and life safety systems; extensive security and HVAC systems to protect all materials; fixed and moveable high density shelving units for manuscript storage; and a new rotunda entrance.

The University of South Florida is planning to construct the 226,000-sf Marshall Center on its Tampa campus. As the hub of student activity, the four-story building will be located just north of the existing Marshall Center and will include a food court and sports grill, an oval-shaped theater, a ballroom, an Internet cafe, a lounge, and numerous meeting rooms. It will also include student activity, student government, and administrative spaces. The Beck Group is handling both the pre-construction and construction management of the project.

Lewis and Clark Community College will begin construction in spring of 2007 on The National Great Rivers Research and Education Center. To be built near Godfrey, Ill., at the confluence of the Mississippi, Illinois, and Missouri Rivers, the river ecology center will provide space for teaching and public outreach as well as developing watershed and river management strategies.

Stonehill College has selected The S/L/A/M Collaborative to provide full architectural and engineering services for its new $34-million Science Center in Easton, Mass. The 89,000-sf building, prominently sited near the College's main entrance, will provide space for integrated science teaching and research in the fields of biology, chemistry, biochemistry, physics, and psychology.

The University of Alberta is constructing a $250-million facility on its Edmonton campus for the faculties of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences and Law. Expected to open in phases beginning in fall of 2007, the building will enable the University to expand its interdisciplinary health sciences research and educational activities. Areas of study in the building include pharmaceutical sciences, spinal cord research, cardiovascular translational research, gastrointestinal inflammation research, and viral hepatitis research.

The University of South Carolina opened the first research building on its Innovista campus in Columbia in fall of 2006. The $22-million Arnold School of Public Health Research Center will house laboratories and departmental space for exercise science and environmental health sciences. The 104,860-sf facility integrates sustainable design principles with extensive use of natural light as well as carpet, flooring, and furniture made from recycled materials.

The University of Queensland opened the $70-million Australian Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology (AIBN) in Brisbane on Oct. 23, 2006. Located on the school's St. Lucia campus, the six-level facility will accommodate research combining the biological, physical, and chemical sciences. Housing over 250 staff and students with a maximum capacity of 350, the center houses state-of-the-art microfabrication facilities, a GMP-ready bioprocessing facility, world-class microscopy facilities, and advanced data storage and visualization capabilities. 

The University of Chicago initiated site work in fall of 2006 on the Howard T. Ricketts Regional Biocontainment Laboratory in Argonne, Ill. The facility will be located on four acres within Argonne National Laboratory. The project team for the $45-million facility includes construction manager Turner Construction of Chicago and designer Flad of Madison, Wisc. Completion is expected in February of 2008.

The University of Michigan has selected Gilbane Building Company as construction manager for its new 10-story, 215,000-sf academic medical center dedicated to ophthalmology and Type 1 diabetes. Partners include Cambridge architects Stubbins Associates and Clark Construction. The approximate completion date for the $78-million expansion is June 2009. The first three floors are devoted to clinics, the fourth to surgery, and floors five through eight are dedicated to research.

UCSF Medical Center is planning to construct a $1.3-billion hospital campus at its Mission Bay campus in San Francisco. Preliminary planning for a mixed-use, 289-bed hospital at the site is currently under way. The facility will include a 183-bed Children's Hospital, a 36-bed women's facility, and a 70-bed cancer center. The $1.3-billion project cost does not include a planned faculty office building, parking, and additional medical research facilities. The children's hospital and the cancer center will replace facilities at the Parnassus Heights and Mt.

The University of Victoria opened its new $25-million Engineering/Computer Science building in British Columbia in fall of 2006. Designed for sustainability with extensive use of natural light, the six-story, 8,975-square meter facility houses classrooms, teaching labs, lecture halls, and offices. The building features a dual plumbing system that utilizes recycled water from the aquatics facility, low-flush toilets and faucets, waterless urinals, and an HVAC heat recovery system that uses the same water for heating and cooling.